incubator

American  

[in-kyuh-bay-ter, ing-] / ˈɪn kjəˌbeɪ tər, ˈɪŋ- /

noun

• incubators
  plural

1. an apparatus in which eggs are hatched artificially.

2. an enclosed apparatus in which prematurely born infants are kept in controlled conditions, as of temperature, for protection and care.

3. an apparatus in which media inoculated with microorganisms are cultivated at a constant temperature.

4. a person or thing that incubates.

5. Business. an enterprise that provides support services to entrepreneurs refining startup concepts, in a continuing and open-ended relationship that includes access to mentoring, networking, or legal assistance, often in a collaborative workspace.

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incubator British  

/ ˈɪnkjʊˌbeɪtə /

noun

1. med an enclosed transparent boxlike apparatus for housing prematurely born babies under optimum conditions until they are strong enough to survive in the normal environment

2. a container kept at a constant temperature in which birds' eggs can be artificially hatched or bacterial cultures grown

3. a person, animal, or thing that incubates

4. a commercial property, divided into small work units, which provides equipment and support to new businesses

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incubator Scientific  

/ ĭn′kyə-bā′tər /

1. An apparatus in which environmental conditions, such as temperature and humidity, can be controlled, often used for growing bacterial cultures, hatching eggs artificially, or providing suitable conditions for a chemical or biological reaction.

2. An apparatus for maintaining an infant, especially one that is ill or born before the usual gestation period, in an environment of controlled temperature, humidity, and oxygen concentration.

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incubator Cultural  

1. A specialized crib used in caring for infants, in which the temperature and oxygen content of the air can be controlled. Often, babies who are born prematurely will be placed in an incubator until they have become strong enough to be housed in a regular crib.

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• incubators
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of incubator

First recorded in 1855–60; from Late Latin: literally, “one who lies in or upon (something); one who sleeps in a temple or shrine”; see origin at incubate, -tor

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Explanation

An incubator is a device that's basically a warm box, meant for keeping premature babies safe and cozy. Sometimes very tiny infants need to spend a little time in an incubator before they're ready to leave the hospital. Incubators are used in hospitals, but you'll also find them on farms, where they keep eggs warm before they hatch, and then protect the baby chicks. A biologist uses another type of incubator, one that controls the temperature for growing microbes or cells in a lab. Because all incubators help something grow and develop, businesspeople also use the term to mean a place or equipment that's available to help a new business get off the ground or grow larger.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

incubator incubators

After being put in a heated incubator, Ralph's body broke out in head-to-toe blisters.

From BBC ● Oct. 4, 2026

Along the way, the company joined Station F, the vast tech start-up incubator housed in the Halle Freyssinet, a renovated rail freight depot in Paris.

From Barron's ● Sep. 3, 2026

It, too, considers only fetal outcomes, reducing the woman to the same thing existing guidance does: a baby incubator.

From Slate ● Aug. 27, 2026

Koontz said he is setting up an incubator that would help digital creators turn their horror ideas into movie concepts, which he would produce.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 10, 2026

He watched the samples grow, and then he carefully moved them to the incubator.

From "The House of the Scorpion" by Nancy Farmer

"It really can act as incubators of new ideas."

From Science Daily ● Sep. 21, 2026

While Nile crocodile eggs naturally incubate in underground nests in the wild, zoos typically hatch them in carefully controlled incubators, closely monitoring the temperature and humidity.

From Barron's ● Aug. 26, 2026

Studies have also found that warmer temperatures push some species to bite more, develop into adults faster, and serve as better virus incubators.

From Slate ● Aug. 4, 2026

Visitors also encountered early examples of X-ray machines, infant incubators, automobiles, early “flying machines” and submarine technology.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 16, 2026

“So there are ironies piled on ironies. The remedy here is imprisonment, and prisons are the ultimate incubators of antisocial attitudes.”

From "The 57 Bus" by Dashka Slater

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